Friday, May 6, 2011

A Window from Heart to Heart

I’m excited to share a special guest post by Sue Memhard, founder of the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. The Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation supports women in holistic/integrative cancer care.This post is a reprint of her poston Miracle Survivors*. Thank you, Sue and Tami for sharing this wonderful post.

By all medical standards, my being here is a miracle. Since early 2009 I’ve been on a crash course in miracles beginning on my 60th birthday, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer again.

I was a two-time survivor (16 and 14 years prior), and had each time undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and complementary treatments of supplements, diet change, and spiritual work. My oncologist each time directed me to stop the chemo, as it made me seriously ill, and I declined recommended radiation. Nevertheless, I survived for 14 years.

However, the chemo made me increasingly susceptible to lingering respiratory infections, chronic low energy, mysterious immune and neurological dysfunctions, generalized suppressed health…. and later, severe chemical sensitivity. This time, I knew that surgery and chemo were not options for me: it was unlikely that I would survive the surgical anesthesia.

While I was considering what to do, the cancer quickly became very advanced. In early June, husband Jim and I abruptly flew across the country for me to begin intensive treatments with a holistic & powerful energy healer. Gradually, I began to feel stronger. The treatments, in addition to dietary changes, daily Kundalini yoga, an herbal program, spiritual work and supportive acupuncture; began to have an effect. Miracles began to happen.

We moved into a hotel for four months while Jim went back to Massachusetts to collect our loyal old dog, pack up our house, and wrap up our long-time New England lives. While he was gone, a wonderful hotel staff shopped for food and drove me to my daily appointments

We were spending down our modest life savings, and my husband was out of work. While costing a fraction of a conventional, insurance-covered treatment regime, my daily out-of-pocket treatments and supplemental interventions were crushingly expensive. I spent all free time researching cancer organizations for financial help.

Repeatedly I heard: there was no help available unless an individual was doing chemotherapy or radiation.

My treatments were saving my life, and healing my soul. They cost far less than chemotherapy or radiation. I deeply wanted to live. But no help was available.

A year later, much stronger and still healing, I decided to start The Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation to help other women (there are thousands) who seek to enhance or extend their lives with the help of holistic, or CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) cancer interventions. Our vision: that all women can afford to pursue healing with dignity, hope and grace.

It’s my passion, and my purpose. Please visit us at www.emeraldheart.org. We’re a year old now, and we welcome your support.

May you be blessed with healing, happiness and light. Sue

"There's a window that opens from heart to heart" --Rumi

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Sue was inspired to start Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation by her own challenges paying for holistic treatment for her cancer.Sue is an internationally collected painter, and she is selling her art to pay for her treatments. To view Sue’s art, please visit:

3 comments:

The following comment is from a recent applicant to Emerald Heart:I have emailed everyone on my list (to ask for) donations for Emerald Heart... If ever I won a lottery, this is the kind of charity that I would support whole-heartedly. There is such great need and so little help offered. Most of the time Rick and I are happy, spiritual, compassionate people but... when a charitable organization says that they're unwilling to help us hold onto our home because we have different medical beliefs, it's unconscionable. It is amazing that so much good, healthful treatment is known that will not devastate the body or compromise the immune system of the patient and yet most prominent oncologists wouldn't dream of offering any of that. I met one of (my Dr.'s) patients last time I visited there... an old gentleman of 93 who was sent home to die 25 yrs ago. He was in his 3rd go-round with varied forms of cancer and there was no more that Western medicine could offer. His daughter dragged him to (my Dr) and he is still with us 25 years later and still playing the fiddle to all of the patients each time he comes for his monthly visit. His "tune up" he calls it! He is a sweet, tall, smiling man with an enormous heart and zest for life. I live for the day when Natural Medicine is a choice offered to all and covered by insurance policies.